|
Saturday 10 October, 1998 Victoria Concert Hall |
THE VOICE OF SUMI JO Presented by THE ARTS MAGAZINE |
|
GIOACHINO ROSSINI La Promessa ·
Mi lagnero tacendo ·
L'invito ·
La Fioraia florentina
CLAUDE DEBUSSY Quattre chanson de Jeunesse JUNG-JOON AHN Ari Ariranj · LUIGI ARDITI Il bacio HENRY BISHOP Lo Here the Gentle Lark · EVA dell'ACQUA Villanelle FELIX MENDELSSOHN Auf flügeln des Gesanges VINCENZO BELLINI "O quante volte" from I Capuletti E Montecchi GIUSEPPE VERDI "Ah forse lui...Sempre libera" from La Traviata
Encores
SUMI JO soprano |
OVERALL NOISE RATING:
2 (Few latecomers but the pertinent few continue to file
right in, right up to the first 10 rows, causing seated people to stand
for them, blocking the view of the Prime Minister, and disturbing our
diva, who was concentrating on her third Rossini aria... shame, shame.
Hint: Move only when people are clapping, and finish moving before the
clapping ends.)
The Noise Rating Index is a partially-objective measurement of pager and handphone blasts, 9pm and 10pm watch beeps, coughing-during-the-pianissimo-bits, intra-audience conversation and other mind-bogglingly inept noises emitted in the concert hall during actual performance of music. It is measured on a scale of 0 to 5, in increasing annoyance.
Ticket for the Inkpot classical music reviewer has been kindly sponsored by The Arts Magazine/Esplanade Co. Johann would like to express his deepest thanks to Mrs Thio (Shane's mom) for being The Angel with the Spare Ticket.
by Ng Yeuk Fan
I must congratulate The Arts Magazine. First for bringing in first-class
artists and further, for paying careful attention to details, all very
simple but extremely classy touches. The white screen behind Sumi Jo, the
consistent small-caps tag-lines, the effective use of yellow - all
contributed to my belief that the magazine is run by people dedicated to
professionalism.
One slip that I must mention - because it irked me so
much, was the lack of professionalism on the part of the emcee for the night. He
would do himself a great favour by at least preparing what he wanted to say
- instead of making up his story in front of an audience who came to
listen to Sumi Jo. Short of making a fool of himself in front of the
Prime Minister, he repeatedly drew references to his wife, his own
production of La Traviata and took his time to give us his opinions on
the composer Eva dell'Acqua much to my irritation. Look, we came to listen to Sumi Jo! To top
it off, he misled the audience by telling us that the Debussy chanson
"Clair de lune" ("Moonlight") shares the familiar tune with the piano piece of the same
name. Debussy wrote three "Clair de lune"’s in his lifetime. Two different chansons by that name set to words written by Paul Verlaine and one piano work, the famed one, as part of a suite.
This week has been the Sumi Jo Week. Everyone's abuzz with talk of
this formidable soprano discovered by Herbert von Karajan. Personally, I
met Sumi Jo at the press conference, chatted a bit with her;
attended her talk at Borders and finally watched the jewel of the week -
her concert recital. It is such a difference when one gets the
opportunity to discover for oneself the person that hides behind the fame,
the sultry CD cover photographs, and of course, the acting voice.
Sumi Jo has worked with giants such as Karajan, Ozawa, Maazel, Bonynge and
Mehta. She recounts with passion that she especially respected the way
which Maestro Seiji Ozawa and Zubin Mehta, in their own Asian identity,
understood her needs and feelings both vocally and in the way she prepared
her concerts and operas. This is the hallmark of not only great musicians
but great human beings as well. This latter quality struck me throughout
her hour-long press conference and further - at every opportunity that I
met her.
Sumi Jo realises that her art is a human quality - has its
meaning and value because of its humanness and with every certainty, she
goes all out to live it in her
life and art. There is ample evidence of her
greatness in her talk at Borders (Oct 9) when she gamely sang, played and
responded to teasing with such human elegance and feminine humour. Further, her recital was
peppered with much visible personality - the precise quality that renders
recordings an embarrassment. This is a living presence that must be
experienced. This diva, in all her greatness, will be in her own way -
'ordinary' because she touches the hearts of the people she meets so
easily.
I thank my lucky stars that I was at this concert. I know the feeling when
my voice teacher tells me that he has seen Callas, Schwarzkopf, etc. in
"living presence". Now, when I am sixty - I can say to the generation
which will only know Jo from recordings that: "when I was twenty-something,
I watched Sumi Jo in a recital at the Victoria Concert Hall"...
Jo opened the concert with one of the most beautiful lilac gowns I have ever seen, which made me recall her telling us at the press conference about
Italians hating purple gowns and about how she has had to copy Christian Dior
couture during the infancy of her career. Now, this beautiful lady with a figure
many would be envious of, has a very talented Korean designer design
gowns for her.
I love the Debussy. Shane Thio started off very beautifully and what a marvellous
match they were. Jo's account of the Debussy revealed her perfect French
diction and captures the spirit of the songs thoroughly. A few minor
lapses of concentration resulted as the audience, clearly enjoying even
this rare repertory, could not hold the applause till the end of the
cycle.
Jo could be heard darkening her tone for the Ari Ariranj, a popular Korean
song that I remember singing when I was young. Though I entertained
doubts at her choice of a darkened tone against a tapestry of vocal
embellishments, even more so the addition of embellishments on a sorrowful
subject such as this - the deafness of one's heart to the sadness of
departure - but somehow, Jo convinces by applying a 'mad scene' treatment
that arguably worked. Her soulful darkness aptly balanced the arranged
embellishments and communicated a sense of misarranged desolation.
The second half of the programme started with great anticipation. The
audience could not get enough of this diva and much impatience was sensed
in the concert hall. Appearing in a white gown with red flowers, Jo again
delivered convincing accounts of the Bishop and Mendelssohn in their original
English and German respectively. Her handling of foreign accents is very remarkable.
I am reminded here that this is a woman of great intelligence. Eva dell'Acqua's Villanelle is a
mix of tender lyric phrasing topped with coloratura, a combination that
suits Jo like a hand in a glove.
Her account of "O quante volte" from Bellini's I Capuletti E I
Montecchi so moved me that I was close to shedding a tear. Jo affirmed
that she is indeed the opera diva assoluta of the moment with her stunning
aria from La Traviata. Taking things at her own pace and developing each
note with assured technique and nuance - truly, I have not heard a better
"Sempre libera".
The thunderous applause was an indication that the audience was clearly at
her feet. Jo, who had been deservedly joying herself amongst an audience that simply
loved her - volunteered six encores. What a treat indeed! She playfully
indulged in her rendition of Edvard Grieg's Ich liebe dich ("I Love You") by teasing the
audience with a delayed repeat. At the end of the "Mein Herr Marquis"
which Jo cheekily shortened, the audience responded with unending applause
and a full-house standing ovation, upstairs included. Truly a concert to be remembered for life. [Readers might like to note that standing ovations in classical concerts in Singapore is extremely rare. - Ed.]
It will not be long before Jo progresses to the much-awaited stage roles
of Verdi and Puccini. This voice is no longer the same thin and light
coloratura I heard in 1994. There is a strong lyric quality that
possesses her interpretation and this combined with her already
phenomenal technique, charm, beauty and ...you name it... will propel her
to even greater stardom once she begins to tackle mainstream opera.
Right down to the
encores offered, I loved this programme - it is decidedly well-considered.
Well in her compass and abilities, Jo created an atmosphere of sustained
greatness, tantalizingly satisfying in its vocal floridness, evocatively
moving at its great lyric moments and amazingly stupefying at the top
notes of the stave. Up till the mischievious moment she herself closed the piano lid and
walked off for the last time, Sumi Jo astounds.
When
she first walked into the press conference, I was all geared up to meet
greatness in its face - that dissolved quickly because Sumi Jo in her own
unique way put me in great ease. No, the lady of the hour did not have
airs at all. She spoke modestly, and charmed us with very Oriental flair
- an issue which she stands for, being the first Asian to make it 'big
time' in the opera circuit.
Jo communicates great confidence that is infectious. Choosing lyric
Rossini instead of the embellished arias, Jo makes a statement - that her
instrument is well capable of opening up at will - to handle larger Verdi
and Puccini heroines. Though not intonation-perfect, Jo wowed at every
opportunity, soaring and executing allargandos with effortless ease.
Recovering from a shaky start, Shane Thio offered matching accompaniment
that was effective and imaginative. A little less occasional muddying
would be perfect. Sumi Jo employs her humanistic wit in the childish La
Fioraia fiorentina. It is difficult not to smile and laugh with her.
The much awaited Arditi was executed with much charm by a confident Sumi
Jo who was clearly enjoying herself. Shane Thio (right) conjured orchestral
forces and the atmosphere was one of throbbing excitement. Jo sang
without a hint of effort, tossing off run after run with magnificent ease.
The night's offering was likened to a 'voyage'. As The Arts Magazine very
aptly put it - "a night of the known by known (Verdi, Mendelssohn),
unknown by the known (Debussy); known by the unknown (Il bacio, Ari
Ariranj), and unknown by unknown (Eva dell'Acqua)."
Ng Yeuk Fan is thankful that they turned the aircon down, so that he, who is
nearly deaf, can hear Sumi Jo better.
|
Click to Return to the Concert Index!...
or Visit the Inkvault archives! |
317: 13.10.98
 |
Explore the Flying Inkpot
| Concert Reviews |
Bit deadish:
| All Chambered Up |